Changes Underway At AC Milan As Adriano Galliani Steps Down

By Lucas Carreras

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Since 1986, a man by the name of Adriano Galliani has been running AC Milan as VP and CEO of the club. He has had a very successful tenure in his role, winning five European Cup/Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles. This does not include the numerous world-class players that have worn the Rossoneri jersey in those 27 years.

Like all good things however, this must come to an end. In the last two seasons, Milan has seen a lot of change and so far in the 2013-14 season, the team has seem much upheaval that included a disappointing 1-1 draw to Genoa last Saturday. No one can be certain whether or not that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it was announced on Friday that Galliani would be stepping down next month.

In his place, Milan legend Paolo Maldini will taker over as technical director, while it is expected that current FIGC steering council member and former Milanista Demetrio Albertini will run the non-sporting operations of the club.

With this announcement, it is clear that after Milan will begin to undertake a much-needed restructuring and usher in changes to a club that lost its way. The first place where one can expect change is that of coach. Independent of how Milan finishes in 2013-14, it is fair to assume that they will miss out on Champions League play next season and with that, expect Massimiliano Allegri to fired as the coach, something that should have happened this past offseason.

Although Allegri won a league title his first season in charge of Milan, the performance of the team has gotten progressively worse with the coach showing little to no ability to adjust tactically. In addition, Milan have an awful record against the top-six teams in the league and for a club with their stature, that is very unacceptable.

Like all Italian clubs, Milan now face the reality that it cannot compete at the same level financially as many of Europe’s top teams and as a result, the transfer policy must be another change that is made while still bringing in quality players that will see Milan able to legitimately compete for Scudettos and be viable contenders in European play.

All this must be done as Milan’s parent company, Finnivest, has stated in certain terms that the club must now operate within its own means and not rely on Finnivest to cover its losses financially. It was clear that aside from the transfer of Mario Balotelli, all other Galliani transfer business the last few years has not been up to his past stellar standards.

There comes a time when all clubs must face the reality that it needs to rebuild in order to place itself in a position to enjoy another period of sustained success. With Galliani announcing that he will step down, AC Milan will now be able to undergo that change needed with new voices running the operation at Milanello.

Lucas Carreras is a contributing Soccer writer for RantSports.com. You can follow Lucas on Twitter by following him @maldini3fan and you can add him to your network on Google.